JEDDAH, 13 March 2004 — Young Saudis in the private and public sectors say their employers and managers harass them in an attempt to force them out of their jobs, according to Al-Madinah newspaper.
The allege this is a plot to prove that Saudis are bad workers and Saudization is a failure.
Tactics can include moving them from workplace to another, changing job descriptions, changing office hours, sending warning letters and verbally humiliating them, they say.
Maher Muhammad worked in the private sector for two years before he says he was pushed out. “I was unemployed until I was taken on as a trainee by a private company under the Saudization campaign,” he said.
“I worked very hard for one year trying to prove myself although I was not officially employed,” said Maher.
“After a year, my employer began harassing me. Then he began switching me from one store to another. I was patient and continued working as I had. I even cleaned and prepared tea for employees,” he said.
He said that he later learned that the owner was trying to drive out Saudis. “Out of four, three have left,” he added.
Muhammad Ali told a similar story. “I worked with a Saudi owner who had stores here and outside the city,” he said. “The foreign managers began hassling me whenever my boss was out. The store manager tried to force me out so his relative could take my position.”
Muhammad found his name traduced. “They spread rumors about me and ruined my reputation with the owner. In the end, I decided to resign,” he said.
